You should clean your cat's ears on an as-needed basis. Healthy, clean ears are light pink with minimal ear wax showing. Regularly check your furry pal's ears to see if they need a cleaning. The most common color of debris is brown, says Sewell.
Take your cat into a quiet room, with no other pets or people around. Gently fold back the outer ear and peek into the ear canal. If healthy, it will be pale pink in colour, and have no odour, debris, and little to no wax.
If your cat's ears are healthy, they should be a light pink, with minimal earwax and no obvious signs of inflammation. If you smell an unusual odor or see a lot of earwax, you'll want to have your cat examined by a vet.
The inner side of the ear should be a healthy pink color. A small amount of black discharge may be observed in some cats. A large amount of black wax is often seen in cats with ear mites.
Ear discharge in cats in a thick, waxy substance that prevents particles from entering the inner portions of the ears. In a healthy cat, the ears will have very little ear wax and the discharge will be a light brownish color. The healthy discharge will have no smell and be accompanied by a pink, clean inner ear canal.
Cats affected by ear mites will scratch at their ears and shake their heads to attempt to relieve their discomfort, and you may notice that their ears droop. In severe cases, ear mites can lead to inflammation of the outer ear as well as the external ear canal.
Many cats will shake their head and scratch their ears, attempting to remove the debris and fluid from the ear canal. The ears often become red and inflamed and may develop an offensive odor. A black, brown, or yellow discharge is commonly observed.
Even indoor-only cats can end up with them, and once one cat in the house has them, the others are sure to end up with them as well. Otodectes cynotis seen under a microscope. The most common type of ear mite is Otodectes cynotis, which live in the ear canal and feed by piercing the thin skin.
Ear mites look like small white dots that can barely be seen by the naked eye. Although they can't hop or fly, these tricky little parasites can crawl from one cat to another, and even travel to other body parts besides the ears.
Cat Ear Infection Symptoms
Warm ears can be a signal that your cat may have an infection. A cat with a fever will may retreat to a cool place with their body splayed rather than curled up. Excessive wax or discharge in the ears prevents your cat from expelling excess heat. Look for black, brown, or yellow discharge.
Only clean your cat's ears if a small to moderate amount of debris or discharge can be seen in the pinna and the ear drum is intact. Clean the ears only as needed, such as once every 2-3 months. Over-cleaning can lead to irritation. Healthy cats generally do not need routine ear cleaning.
Ear wax is a common occurrence in dogs, but it should be light brown and odorless. However, dogs with ear mites will have darker brown or black wax that looks like coffee grounds and smells unpleasant.
Most cats have healthy, clean ears and never need to have their ears cleaned. However, it is recommended to clean your cat's ears if you notice discharge or an odor when examining the ear. Your veterinarian can help you decide how often your cat's ears should be cleaned.
Checking your cat's ears is an important part of routine cat care. During these inspections, you look for dirt and wax buildup, which can potentially lead to infection. If you don't spot any issues, though, you don't need to worry about doing a cleaning.
It will depend on your cat's habits when it comes to how often you should clean their ears. If you have a house cat you may find that you rarely need to clean their ears, whereas if you have a cat that's always getting up to mischief outside, they may need more regular cleaning to remove dirt they've picked up.
Your cat may scratch at his itchy ears or start shaking his head a lot. While the mites are microscopic, they can be quite pesky. Just imagine feeling hundreds of little crawly things in your ears! Feline ear mites on the insides of the ears will look dirty, usually with a dark brown or reddish-brown debris.
They closely resemble ticks, except they're barely visible to the naked eye. If they are, they'll appear as small white dots, living their entire lives inside a dog's ear. It takes approximately three weeks for mites to fully develop into adults.
Ear mites are transferred from animal to animal through contact. If your cat is venturing outdoors they may be making friends in the neighbourhood and getting ear mites from them while they socialize. Now don't worry you can cuddle up with you cat or dog and not get ear mites from them.
Use a cotton ball to clean, wipe, and dry the inside of your cat's ears. You can pick up cotton ball squares at most human pharmacies. You can also use cotton balls, cotton makeup rounds, or even a tissue. Just don't use cotton swabs to clean out your cat's ears, as you could damage their eardrums.
Green tea is a natural antiseptic that will get rid of mites. It'll also help remove the “coffee grounds” debris. Massage your dog's ears gently (she should love this!)
Pet owners can easily identify ear mites by the signature brown discharge that they cause in the cat's ear.
Treatment for Ear Mites in Cats
If other areas of the body are affected, a flea medication that also works against mites may be prescribed. These include Advantage Multi® and Revolution®. Bravecto® is also effective at treating ear mites but is not labeled for this purpose.